Social Media Shares With FBI & DHS

Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River economic community. The opinions expressed here do not reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff.

Social media giants discuss upcoming midterm elections with FBI and Homeland Security, reports The New York Times. Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Oath, Snap, and Twitter shared details about disinformation campaigns they were witnessing on their platforms, but were frustrated that the government would not share information about specific threats, failing to prepare the companies for the midterm elections.

The Air Force is investigating a KC-10 aerial refueling aircraft emergency abort during take-off from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and why the plane’s slide-rafts didn’t deploy for the aircrew to quickly exit the aircraft, reports Military.com. The service is also reducing  some Space-A military travel flights on KC-10s out of the New Jersey base as well as Travis Air Force Base, CA, as “a precautionary measure.”

The Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee added 12 more F-35 fighters to its version of the 2019 defense spending bill, expanding the program while the Trump administration used some its harshest rhetoric yet concerning Turkey’s role in the program. The bill would boost the number of F-35 jets the Pentagon plans to buy next year from 77 to 89, a smaller buy than the 93 aircraft being considered by the House, reports Breaking Defense.

Australia will buy six Triton remotely piloted aircraft at $6.9 billion, reports International Business Times, to use alongside P-8A Poseidon aircraft for long range operations and intelligence gathering and improving anti-submarine warfare and marine strike capability.

Defense News reports Britain needs to raise defense spending by over £8 billion a year to maintain the military relationship with the US and keep its leading role in NATO, according to a report by the parliamentary defense committee. The report recommends Britain increases the 2.5 percent of gross domestic product allocated to the military to 3 percent.

DefSec Jim Mattis and his Chinese counterpart strategize how to get North Korea to abandon its nuclear program. Mattis called his discussions in Beijing with Defense Minister Wei Fenghe a “very open and honest dialogue,” reports AP News. Mattis also canceled joint military exercises with South Korea, reports Foreign Policy, making good on President Donald Trump’s promise to cancel, suspending “indefinitely” a major annual training exercise this summer and two smaller ones.

Digitized design is vital to the Navy’s ability to drive down shipbuilding and repair costs to afford its future larger fleet, reports USNI. With about 100 major repairs performed on vessels each year, digitized design is part of the solution, says James A. Geurts, assistant secretary of  research, development, and acquisition, because the technology helps manufacturers speed up production.

NAWCAD recently hosts the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International’s (AUVSI) 16th annual Student Unmanned Air Systems (SUAS) competition at Webster Field. The competition challenges local, national, and international student groups from grade school through college to create unmanned aerial systems (UAS) from the ground up, and compete against other teams. Competing groups must demonstrate their UAS performing autonomous missions contrived by AUVSI that are only revealed once the competition begins. NAWCAD has hosted the event every year since its inception in 2002.

Contracts:

Diamond Industrial Corp., Morehead City, North Carolina (N40085-14-D-7740); East Carolina Mechanical LLC, Jacksonville, North Carolina (N40085-14-D-7741); Mechworks Mechanical Contractors Inc., Beaufort, North Carolina (N40085-14-D-7742); North State Mechanical Inc., Jacksonville, North Carolina (N40085-14-D-7743); R&W Construction Co., Jacksonville, North Carolina (N40085-14-D-7744); and T.A. Woods Co., Wilmington, North Carolina (N40085-14-D-7745), are awarded a $60,000,000 firm-fixed-price modification to increase the maximum dollar value of indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award construction contracts for mechanical construction services within the Marine Corps Installations East area of responsibility. The work to be performed provides for mechanical construction services including demolition, repair, modification, and new installation of various mechanical systems including heating, ventilation and air conditioning, boilers, high pressure steam distribution, electrical distribution, motors, generators, potable water distribution, sanitary sewer, storm water control, communications, and incidental work such as general construction, specialty trades, and removal of asbestos or lead contaminated materials. After award of this modification, the total maximum dollar value for all six contracts combined will be $155,000,000. Work will be performed at Navy and Marine Corps installations at various locations including, but not limited to, North Carolina (90 percent); Georgia (3 percent); South Carolina (3 percent); Virginia (3 percent); and other areas of the US (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by September 2019. No funds will be obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued. Future task orders will be primarily funded by operations, and maintenance (Marine Corps); and military construction funds. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

Lockheed Martin Corp., Baltimore, Maryland, is awarded $8,328,740 for cost-plus-fixed-fee job order 0003 under a previously awarded basic ordering agreement (N63394-16-G-0006) for services required to maintain and support Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ships. The services provided will include program planning and control, resource management, cost and schedule control, installation and modernization, software development and testing, and training support. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey (80 percent); and Baltimore, Maryland (20 percent), and is expected to be completed by July 2019. Fiscal 2017 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $319,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured, in accordance with 10 US Code 2304(c)(1) – only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division, Port Hueneme, California, is the contracting activity.

Colonna’s Shipyard Inc., Norfolk, Virginia, was awarded an $8,082,672 firm-fixed-price contract for Docking Phased Maintenance Availability repair work onboard USS Zephyr (PC 8). This action includes hull, machinery, electrical, auxiliary, and ship alterations work and miscellaneous repairs. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $15,677,692. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by September 2019. Fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance funding in the amount of $8,082,672 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via Federal Business Opportunities website, with four offers received. The Southeast Regional Maintenance Center, Mayport, Florida, is the contracting activity. (N40027-18-C-0006) (Awarded June 22, 2018)

KBRwyle Technology Solutions LLC, Columbia, Maryland, is awarded $7,063,036 for modification (P00009) under a previously awarded contract (N00173-16-C-2029) to exercise option period two of the Performance Work Statement titled “Secure Facility Operations, Maintenance and Security”. This action provides for continued contractor support to execute a comprehensive facility maintenance plan for the secure facilities located on the Naval Research Laboratory. After award of this modification, the total cumulative value is $15,709,552. Work will be performed in Washington, District of Columbia, and work is expected to be completed June 28, 2019. Working capital funds (Defense) in the amount $3,300,000 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract was solicited as full and open competition, with one proposal received. The Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00173-16-C-2029).